Who are the Wahhabi Salafis?

ARE WE SUFFICIENTLY AWARE OF THE FOREIGN-SOURCED RELIGIOUS STRUCTURES THAT ARE INFLUENCING THE FUTURE OF THE COUNTRY?

According to Wahhabi-Salafi thought, the religion of Islam was completed 1500 years ago. For this reason, they believe there is no room for debate or individual opinions regarding religion. According to Wahhabi-Salafis, every area of life must be exactly the same as it was when Islam first emerged. The caliphate, the legal system, the form of education, the state structure, the style of dress, dining etiquette, the place of women in society, concubinage, slavery, and especially the concept of jihadism, which considers war a duty, must be applied today exactly as they were then.

Wahhabism and Salafi thought converge at this point. Salafism, which literally means those who follow the path of the predecessors, is an umbrella term advocating that Islam should be lived as it was by the three generations following the Prophet. This is where Salafis unite with Wahhabis; Wahhabis are also a movement that applies the way the Prophet lived with very strict rules. This means that every Wahhabi is a Salafist, but not everyone who accepts Salafism as an umbrella term is a Wahhabi. Therefore, it is possible to encounter the word Salafi in other Islamic movements as well. However, according to the Wahhabi understanding, ijtihad (independent legal reasoning) and interpretation in religion are bid'ah (innovation). While trying to live the religion of Islam as it was approximately 1500 years ago, they are fixated on the belief that the whole world should live this way as well. They determine their lifestyles along this line, and their mission is to spread this idea to the whole world through their disciples, whom they call 'da'i' (callers/missionaries). Community members usually use pseudonyms like Abu Said or Abu Anas instead of their own names.

THEIR FORMATIONS IN TURKEY

Among the hundreds of communities in Turkey, the Wahhabi-Salafis, which escape the attention of most of us, hold the reins of a powerful international financial network. Taking advantage of international legal loopholes and the opportunity for associations to make unlimited and tax-free donations, the community continues to rapidly gather supporters in the Europe-Turkey-Middle East triangle through its financial resources, social media power, and jihadist missionaries called 'da'i'. Active in Turkey for approximately 30 years, Wahhabi-Salafism is divided into three groups: Jihadi Salafism, Saudi Salafism, and Takfiri Salafism. Takfiri Salafism is the most radical among them.

When reading doctoral theses published by Theology Faculties in Turkey about Wahhabis or Islamic Encyclopedias, it is possible to reach current information not only about their past but also about their activities in Turkey. In fact, the Wahhabi community itself reveals many details about them through the social media networks they actively use.

So, how did the Wahhabis reach an institutional structure for over 30 years without encountering any obstacles? How did they reach the level of regularly giving seminars at a major university? With dozens of publishing houses, translation teams, boarding madrasas that function as schools where children between the ages of 4-6, 8-10, and 10-15 are trained and educated, boarding Quran courses, progressive examination systems, international seminar networks, interpreter teams, associations, foundations, and social media networks, how did they continue to grow exponentially in an unstoppable way? It is useful to look at their historical process to see it better.

HISTORY OF THE WAHHABIS

The history of Wahhabi-Salafists goes back much further than we think. Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, who was expelled from his home and even faced assassination attempts in the 1700s due to his extremist ideas incompatible with Islam, took refuge in Saudi Arabia. The violent and radical attitudes of the Wahhabis were seen as an opportunity by the Saudi sheikh of the period, Muhammad ibn Saud, the Emir of Diriyah, who wanted to gain political superiority over his rivals. Through the Diriyah agreement in 1744, Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab joined forces with Muhammad ibn Saud and captured almost the entire Arabian Peninsula, which had been under the protection of the Ottoman Empire until 1818. Although Ibrahim Pasha from the Ottoman Empire, realizing the disaster caused by the Wahhabi-Salafis who occupied and looted Mecca in 1803 under the rule of Saud ibn Abd al-Aziz, put an end to the Wahhabi-Saudi State, Wahhabi Ibn Saud, taking advantage of the weakness of the Ottoman Empire in the First World War, made a deal with the British and occupied the Arabian Peninsula.

THE 30-YEAR HISTORY AND FOUNDERS OF WAHHABI-SALAFIS IN TURKEY

When we look at the foundations of similar communities in Turkey, we encounter similar scenarios without exception. Because it is impossible for any community united around a common idea to establish such an organized community without a pre-planned roadmap and professional support. Neither holding a serious amount of financial power nor managing this power internationally on its own is a scenario that fits into the imagination.

ESTABLISHMENT OF THE COMMUNITY IN TURKEY

The leader and founder of the community in Turkey, A.Y., was born in Kirkuk in 1958. After fighting for 6 years in the Iran-Iraq war, A.Y. took refuge in Turkey with his followers. In an interview he gave for a doctoral thesis about their community, he states that they established the "Guraba Foreign Trade" export company with his Syrian partner and, in his own words, "experienced a sudden enrichment with the help of their brothers in the Arab world." Although A.Y. has left the company, he still receives a regular income under the name of commission from other Turkish companies that work with this company. Money flow to the organization is also provided from the real estate he bought in Iraq with this income. The scale of donations collected through associations is unknown. A.Y. says, "We could not act comfortably during the previous governments, but as of 2002, our activities in Turkey have entered a period of rise."

At the same time, U.A., a companion of A.Y., who is a council member of the Kuwait-based International Union of Muslim Scholars and the council's Turkey representative, is a Turkey member of the World Association of Muslim Scholars. Although these two friends carry out their activities through different branches, they state that they act together when it comes to the main goal.

After the financial resource problem was solved with the support of their backers in the Arab world and the money received under the name of commission from Turkish firms, A.Y., saying "now the real work within Turkey could begin," first opened the Guraba Publishing House in Cağaloğlu, Istanbul. He first published the books of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, which were not accepted due to his extremely radical ideas, under the name "Muhammad al-Tamimi." The reason for the name change is that the name Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab has a negative impact in Turkey. Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab strongly criticizes the four major sects in the Islamic religion, as well as those involved in Sufism and dervish orders, and declares them infidels due to some of their practices. His goal is to create a new sect to implement his own strict rules.

Due to the prevalence of sects accepted in Turkey and the Sufi-centered dervish orders formed around these sects, the fundamental books aimed at creating a new understanding of religion or a sect in Turkey are published in Turkish, Arabic, and Uzbek under the name "Muhammad al-Tamimi."

As of 2014, islamhouse.com, an international website broadcasting in languages such as Arabic, English, French, and Turkish, publishes books, articles, and fatwas as PDF and Word files through this connection. There are audio and video recordings of lessons and conversations. According to 2014 figures, there are a total of 1435 registered data, including 182 books, 298 articles, 813 fatwas, 45 videos, and 96 audio recordings in Turkish.

SOCIAL MEDIA AND COMMUNICATION TOOLS

The community, which uses social media very intensively both to stay in touch with each other and for missionary work, has websites, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok accounts. They also have internet channels on video sharing sites such as YouTube and Dailymotion. While constantly making jihad propaganda through these channels, they also publish their free books in PDF format, articles, and fatwas through these channels. The Salafis, who have an active network of translators, conduct their Wahhabi-Salafist propaganda in Arabic, Turkish, and Uzbek through the Gureba publishing house, while the authors of the majority of the books consist of the organization's founders.

SOME OF THEIR WEBSITES

1. islamhouse: An international website broadcasting in sixty languages, including Arabic, English, French, and Turkish.

2. islah.de: Contains audio recordings of the lessons of the founding members.

3. The Okur Association website and the Taybe Science Association website; the biographies and activities of Salafi-Wahhabi da'is are taught as lessons on their official websites.

WAHHABI SALAFIS' TEMHID-ISLAH AND TERBIYE MADRASAS

There are boarding Quran courses and madrasas for girls and boys within the associations. Students are trained to become active members of the community through an intensive education system from childhood. The classes taught consist of age groups 4-6, 8-10, and 10-15. Children who complete the age of 15 are admitted to the madrasa and subjected to an eight-month temhid (rehabilitation, correction) course. After this rehabilitation and training education, the content of which is not fully known, they begin their activities as active community members.

SHOULDN'T THESE QUESTIONS COME TO MIND?

• Are these madrasas subject to the Ministry of National Education?

• Has there been a change in the law on the closure of dervish lodges and zawiyas?

• Is it legal to keep children aged 4 and 15 away from state education and subject them to education in madrasas?

• Do these children receive a diploma when they graduate?

• Does the diploma they receive have any equivalent in the modern world?

• Can children take the university entrance exam after graduating from these madrasas?

• How do they sustain their lives as adult individuals after a madrasa life that does not provide professional qualifications?

• If these madrasas are not subject to the Ministry of National Education, who inspects them?

• What does education based on training, rehabilitation, discipline, and correction mean?

FOUNDATIONS, ASSOCIATIONS, BOARDING QURAN COURSES, AND MADRASAS

Madrasas form the supporting columns of the organization in terms of both financial and human resources. Quran courses and madrasas consist of dormitories, libraries, classrooms, and seminar halls within 5, 6, and 8-story buildings. It is stated that 400 students, 100 of whom are boarders, will be subject to the education and training life in the 8-story Imam Ahmed Madrasa within the Imam Ahmed Foundation. The spokesperson of the community announces, "We will start the education and training period with our 400 students in the newly opened madrasa."

NAMES AND ACTIVITIES OF THE ASSOCIATIONS

1. Tevhid and Sunnah Sciences Dissemination Association ISTANBUL / ATAŞEHİR: It is the largest formation of the community. Other associations under this umbrella association: Iman Mosque male student dormitory, Science Association/Izmir, Imam Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab Madrasa/Istanbul, Nasihat Association/Bayburt, Irsat Association/Denizli.

2. In the Science Association in Izmir, one of these associations, training is provided to Salafi-Wahhabis from Turkey and many parts of the world in hotels in various provinces once a year by the founding members.

3. Asr-ı Saadet Science Research and Dissemination Association: Founded in Gaziantep in 2006 and moved to its 5-story building in 2014, the community's founders provide Wahhabi-Salafi training both in the association and through their YouTube channel. In the boarding Quran course, students are divided into 4-6 age group, 8-10 age group, and 10-15 age group to take lessons. Students studying here stay as boarders in the association's dormitory. The founding instructors, who provide training to university students under the name of the Invitation Club at Gaziantep University, also provide religious education by having breakfast with university students in a cafe every Sunday morning between 10:00 and 12:00 with the Gaziantep University Invitation Club.

4. ÇAĞRI-DER: Çağrı Science Dissemination Culture Assistance and Solidarity Association / In the association founded in Izmir, the organization's founding leader A.Y. and other community members provide training. In an illustrated article they shared on the Çağrı Association's Facebook page, the organization members, who say they refuse to live the religion of innovation and superstition invented by the TBMM (Grand National Assembly of Turkey), provide training under the name of Annual Brotherhood and Meeting Seminars.

Source 1: Volume 42 of the TDV Islamic Encyclopedia

Source 2: Istanbul University Institute of Social Sciences, Department of Basic Islamic Sciences, Master's Thesis